The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-09
OUR NEXT GOVERNOR.
General Stephen ID. Lee.
Columbus { (lfisS.) DiYpdtch.


Many of our cotemporaries for the past few
months. have been discussing the question as
to who shall he the next Democratic candi.
date for Governor Of Mississippi. 1t Is some
time off before the people VIII be chilled upon
to select u CHIEF magistrate to succeed Ou!
present able Executive hut as II Is q well es
tablishcd maxim, that In times OF peace we
should prepare for war. so 1t Is we'll that the
people in advance Of any excitement, should
think of the men whom they desire to fiji po
sitions of honor and or high and important
trust. 1t Is too often the case that men OF lit
tie brains and of mcagcr capncity, hut o
Skillful trickery. obtain the first OIL ccs In the
gift of the people, while the able, the learned
and the gifted, too proud to stoop to little
tricks. are kept In the back ground ana In Oh
scurlty. Our ablest and best men rarely ever
get TO Congress, or are called upon to fill the
gubernatorial chair. They scorn to stoop to
the tricks and chicanery OF the demagogue
and hence are left severely In the cold.
The distinguished gentleman whose name
tion In the gift OF the people. AS Pitt said o.
Lord Chesterfield, his private life Is stained
by no vice, and sullied by no meanness. Ste
phen D. Lee was born in CharlestoH, s. c., on
Sept. 22d, 1893. He is descended from lone
line of distinguished ancestry, whose names
are impressed upon every page OF our coun
try's history. During the Revolutionary war
when the British captured Charleston, they
the un nf the c"se e the
Among those who thus suffered for the cause
of independence, was the great.grandfathel
of stephen d: Lee: His grandfather was
Carolina; he was a man eminent for his tai.
ents and legal training and took q prominent
and active part In the"Null LITIGATION" Difficult
ties of that period. Judge John Belton
O'Neill. In his "Bench and Bar OF South Car.
olna gives an Interesting account Of his life
stephen ID: Lee entered the military acade
my at West Point In 1850, and graduated with
Generals Stuart, Curtis Lee, Pender and 9th
between the States. Q. o: Howard, Weed and
others who distinguished themselves IN the
Federal army during the civil war, were his
class. mates. General Lee, after his gradua
ton, served for six years in the United States
army as second Lieutenant In the Fourth Ar.
tillery. In 1856 he was promoted to the posi-
tion of first Lieutenant in company com.
manded by Capt. Pemberton, afterwards Lieu.
tenant-Gen eral Penn berton, who commanded
the civil wardrobe out, Lee obeying the be-
hests Of O chivalric manhood, resigned his po-
sition in the Federal army, rendered his ser
vices and his sword to his native State, was
aide to Gen. Beauregard, and was present at
He and another officer carried the demand for
the surrender Of the Fort, and itbeing refused
gave orders for the batteries to fire upon the
Fort. 1t would be tedious, as 1t Is unnecessa-
ry in this article, to trace the various steps
taken by this man from the position OF pri.
vate soldier, TO the distinguished position Of n
Licutenant-(icneral in the Confederate army
In whatever position he was placed-by the
fortunes of war-through the great battles
fought upon the soil of the Old Dominion. and
around the trenches at Vicksburg. where
with a mere handful OF men, his ability and
genius, gave him the power To hur hack Shcr.
man, and his host Of vnndals at Chickasaw
Bayou. he ever showed himself equal TO any
and every emergency. President Davis, who
Ia not distinguished for profusc compliments,
during the war, said Of Gen. Lee: ~ have
known stephen u. Lee In cavalry, infantry
and artillery. and found him not only service.
able, but superior In ALL"
At the close Of the war, Gen. Lee betook
himself to the pursuits Of private life. Upon
the foundation OF the A. e. NJ. College he was
elected It's President, and has SO conducted
the affairs OF that Institution as to render II
an ornament to the State II IS to-day, be.
ynnd all doubt. the grandest practical inslitu-
ton In the South. It's SUCCESS Is owing to the
sense Of stephen d. Lee.
This Is just the kind Of man that MisSissip-
pi needs rs her Chief Magistrate. We do not
know that Gen. Lee desires to be Governor.
We do not know that he desires his name to
90 before the nominating convention, but we
do believe that he has patriotism and love
enough for Mississippi, not 10 refuse TO serve
her If called upon by the peonle whom he
served In war and In peace. We trust that
our cotemporarles Of the press will consider
this matter carefully, and If they do, We be-
lieve that they will agree with us that Ste.
phen d. Lee should be the next Governor OF
Mississippi.